


What Is and What Isn't

by DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Humor, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, Timeline What Timeline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:14:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23412931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns/pseuds/DarkAngelOfSorrowReturns
Summary: "Surprised?" Malfoy asked, a small, sly grin formed on his face.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy/Theodore Nott
Comments: 10
Kudos: 44
Collections: Bunny Bounce Fic Exchange 2020





	What Is and What Isn't

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thestanceyg](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanceyg/gifts).



> Apologies in advance for any beta mistakes! Set in a timeline that Deathly Hallows didn't happen and Voldy was defeated in HBP.

Hermione stepped into the library with her chin held high. A pair of immature Slytherins were _not_ going to stand in the way of her perfect score in Potions. 

Professor Slughorn was gracious enough to allow the extra credit assignment after the initial lesson blew up in her face...quite literally.

_“Nott and Malfoy,” Hermione said, her lips pressed thinly, “This is a simple stirring maneuver. Stop fighting over the spoon!”_

_Merlin, why did she have to be paired with these two? The pair wasn’t getting over for Godric knows what, and it was affecting their project. They were in Advanced Potions! One would think they would show a little more decorum that they were so proud of as Slytherins, yes?_

_“If Draco would just—” Nott started, his grip firm on the spoon in their cauldron._

_The blond in question attempted to snatch the spoon away from Nott, glaring dangerously at the other wizard. “I’m not the one who wants to impress Granger,” he hissed._

_“Oh, you’re not?” Nott questioned his brow arching in a challenging manner._

_Malfoy’s eye twitched, and Hermione couldn’t believe it. The way these two were acting was beyond their typical means. She didn’t know and didn’t_ want _to know what crawled under their cloaks that morning. Potions never ended well for her when the tension was high in the room; tension was surely rising to a high degree at that moment._

_“Nott and Malfoy,” she attempted to say more sternly._

_They ignored her to stare one another in the eye. Whatever silent conversation the two seemed to have was intense. Neither bothered to notice the substance in their cauldron beginning to produce a giant bubble._

_Hermione noticed._

_With widened eyes, she pointed her wand towards the bubble, hoping to destroy it before it did any damage. She could hear Professor Slughorn’s voice and looked up. As soon as she did so, the bubble popped, and some of the substance landed directly in her eyes._

The brunette muttered under her breath as she placed her bag on a table with enough seclusion and privacy from the other wandering students. The Potions Master assured her that she was fine and if any itching occurred to go to the Hospital Wing for a relief potion. That didn’t keep her from being bitter to the fact that her initial assignment was ruined and only _she_ was hit with the blowup. Nott and Malfoy were too busy arguing over who was at fault. As soon as she saw the two, they were going to receive an earful. 

She didn’t have to wait too long as she caught the sound of approaching footsteps. Hermione spun around to give them a piece of her mind, but the wind was caught in her throat. 

Neither male wore their robes, and their shirt sleeves were rolled up. It was something she had seen before, yes; however, it was what wasn’t there anymore that caused her to pause in her tracks. 

“Where are your marks?” Hermione blurted out. 

Both Nott and Malfoy went frigid, giving each other a quick glance before returning their gaze to Hermione. 

“You’re joking,” Nott said. 

“Sneaking in the greenhouse herbs?” Malfoy asked at the same time as Nott’s statement. 

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the guys in front of her. It was frustrating enough when she dealt with Harry and Ron. She would not take the same thing from these two when they were the reasons for this meeting to begin with. 

“You two have gotten me in enough as is,” she hissed, pointing her finger at them. She would shift its direction between Nott and Malfoy as she fussed. “You are not going to stand there and insinuate I’m bonkers when I can clearly see the mark you proudly display isn’t there anymore.” 

Malfoy’s expression twisted to one of irritation, but whatever he was going to say was stopped by Nott, who placed a hand on the blond’s shoulder. 

“Wait, Draco,” he said. “She’s telling the truth.” 

Malfoy’s brows rose. “That’s impossible,” he replied. “There’s no bloody way the magic we used is _—_ ” 

“It’s something else,” Nott interrupted. “No one else said otherwise in the common room.” 

It was once again that Hermione was ignored between the two, and with certain things they said sticking in her mind, she demanded answers they weren’t providing. She needed to vent, and there was only one person who would be able to manage it right then. Without a word, Hermione huffed and stormed off.

* * *

“And you’re absolutely certain,” Harry said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. 

Hermione stopped pacing in front of her friend, who would soon be turned into a putrid Quidditch uniform sock if he questioned her again. Her nostrils flared, and her eyes narrowed at him.

“For the umpteenth time, Harry, their marks aren't there anymore! I know what I saw” 

Hermione’s arms were raised in the air to emphasize her frustration on the subject. It wasn’t like her to not have the answers, yet this baffled her. A simple accident with their assigned potion shouldn’t have affected the witch, yet here she was with information that made less sense than the divas of Gryffindor and their fashion choices. 

“Hermione, breathe.” Harry bit his lip, running a hand through his hair. “Talk about tables turning,” he mumbled. When Hermione gave him a withering stare, he flushed and quickly spoke. “What’s the potion supposed to do if it was prepared without incident?”

Hermione took his initial advice and used a breathing technique she developed over the summer. When she felt her own steam simmer down, the witch began to explain the assignment to Harry. 

“The potion lesson was about _Atramentum Comedentis_ , an ink reading potion intended for scholars and Curse Breakers to decipher runes,” she said. “If the potion was done correctly and not disturbed by immature prats, it would have decoded the runes laid out for us.”

Harry hummed in thought and his brows furrowed. “‘Mione,” he started, “you know I would never doubt you…” 

Her brow quirked slowly. “Yes?” 

“Well...erm...Ron and I had experimented with some spells in Mrs. Weasley’s cookbook once over the summer, and I’m...I’m pretty sure that _Comedentis_ means eater, not reader. Or at least feeder…” 

The gears began to turn in the witch’s head. It bothered her to no end that she hadn’t caught onto it sooner. Why did she accept the potion wording…

 _Those_ . _Prats_. 

“There’s another thing, Hermione,” Harry said, interrupting the brunette’s inner raging. “If we’re thinking partially the same thing, that means that effect that wasn’t detected allows you to unveil ink of sorts.” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. “That’ll be a pain for writing your reports until it clears, but you still should have seen their Dark Marks.” 

The gears moved once again in her mind, filling in the blanks Harry didn’t want to believe either. 

“Their tattoos are supposed to be burned in their skin, unable to be removed or unseen…” she drifted off in a low tone, almost a whisper. “If I can’t see them, they can’t be real.” 

Harry reached over to rub Hermione’s hand, but she couldn’t feel it as the revelation dawned on her. 

“Their marks aren’t real. They’re spies for the Order.”

* * *

Hermione reentered the library, taking a deep breath and striding with similar confidence that she had before. Things were a bit more clear to her now. Though, that didn’t mean she wasn’t still irritated by Nott and Malfoy’s behavior. It was inexcusable, but it shed light on something valuable. 

In the midst of storming away from the two, she had forgotten her bag. She needed to get it back first before confronting the Slytherins; all of her work was there whether she could currently read it or not. 

Apparently, it wasn’t the only thing that had remained in her departure. 

Malfoy was seated across from it, scribbling down something she couldn’t read—for obvious reasons _—_ and Nott was reading from a thick text next to him. They were speaking quietly to one another because Hermione could see their lips moving, and as she moved closer to the table, they paused in their movements and looked up at the witch. 

She inwardly cursed their Quidditch-trained senses and glanced towards their forearms one more time. The tattoos still weren’t there. 

“We weren’t going to leave your bag, Granger,” Malfoy drawled before returning to the parchment in front of him. 

“We also knew you wouldn’t want us approaching the Gryffindor Tower to return it to you,” Nott added in, flipping to the next page in the large book without looking down at it. 

“There’s also our assignment that couldn’t be left undone.” 

“Which wouldn’t be happening like this if you simply let me take lead.” 

“Don’t start again, Nott,” Malfoy growled and glared at him. Nott smirked in return. 

Hermione cleared her throat to catch their attention, but she was ignored for the third time. That would not stand. She had to do something a little more drastic. 

“Draco,” she said, “and Theo. I am standing right here, and I want answers.” 

Using their given names did the trick, and they stared at the witch with incredulous yet attentive eyes. There was no fury or annoyance like she thought it would be. 

“We’ve come to the same conclusion as you,” Nott stated, “which is also a mistake on my part. I wrote down the wrong word upon coming into the classroom, and the bubble that hit your eyes allowed you to figure out our secret.” 

“Surprised?” Malfoy asked, a small, sly grin formed on his face. 

Hermione lost nearly all the fight she had prepared to give them, but she couldn’t let them know that. This was beyond the interactions she was used to with the Slytherins. 

“Surprise me with the answers regarding your arguments about me,” she countered.

She saw the twitch in Malfoy’s lip, but it didn’t deter what his friend said next. She should have been careful with her wording. 

“If you must know, Granger, the arguments are because we desire you,” Nott answered nonchalantly. “Or fancy, like, admire...whatever term you want to attach to it.”

Her jaw was too far gone for her to stop from dropping. The...the nerve! How could...why...what? She knew her cheeks were flushing harshly with bewilderment and embarrassment. This was not a game they could be playing with her so easily. The sneaky voice in the back of her mind teased her with the idea that it wasn’t a game. Could it? Nothing made sense anymore. 

Malfoy pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned. “Now look what you’ve done, Theo,” he said. “You’ve gone and broken Granger.” 

Nott stood and moved away from the table, and Malfoy watched from his chair. Nott tilted his head and looked Hermione directly in the eye. She didn’t back down from the staredown, but she didn’t know what to say exactly. What could she say in this situation?

“I’m sure we can fix her, mate,” he responded to the blond while keeping his eyes trained on her. “Think so, _Hermione_?” 

Merlin...Harry... _anyone_...help her. 

**Author's Note:**

> To be continued possibly ;)


End file.
